Learn From The Masters—Create A Database Of Traditional Art

I was working on some painterly textures yesterday and started thinking about paintings. As photo artists, we are often—as R Christopher Vest said in a previous post—Neo-Pictorialists. What better place to take our inspiration from than the master painters? This may seem self-evident, but really take it on as if you are researching a term paper. A term paper that you will research for the rest of your life. I suggest creating a database of art inspirations. When I was at University, my theatre make-up professor suggested we keep what he called an Image Morgue. A Morgue in this case is a file of photographs, drawings, anything that you can use to draw upon for inspiration or reference.

I’ve carried this useful practice forward in my work. When I was a professional hand-colorist, I had a file folder of tear sheets, postcards, etc. Now that I’m a digital artist, I keep a digital file of inspirations and references. Look at lighting, color, composition, texture and saturation. Look at highlights and shadow!

I’ve pulled some images from the Wikimedia Commons for your inspiration today. The Wikimedia Commons is a great place to find inspiration! If you haven’t started already, start your art Morgue.

One Response to Learn From The Masters—Create A Database Of Traditional Art

I’ve kept and added to an Art Morgue for years. It uses a couple of terabytes of hard drive space these days. It’s always fun to sit back and listen to music while running a random slide show or looking at specific sections of the morgue. It includes every type of art imaginable I just never thought of it as a morgue before. I like that term.Chris Lord recently posted..American Habitat

About Me

I'm an American photographer and designer living in France. I'm also the founder of French Kiss Collections, a digital design resource specializing in Fine Art Textures. Join me for news, resources, inspiration and tutorials. Learn to Rock Your Textures!
~Leslie Nicole